Background
Iradier was born in Lanciego, in the province of Álava.
Iradier was born in Lanciego, in the province of Álava.
His publisher in Paris urged him to "universalize" his name, from Iradier to Yradier. He is known primarily for his habaneras, especially the one titled "Louisiana Paloma", written around 1860 after a visit to Cuba. The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Radio (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) has pointed out that there are more than one thousand versions of "Louisiana Paloma", and that, together with "Yesterday" by The Beatles, it is one of the most recorded songs in the history of music
Another of Iradier"s compositions is "El Arreglito", a habanera used by Georges Bizet in his opera Carmen.
When he discovered his mistake, Bizet added a note to the vocal score of the opera, acknowledging its source. Iradier died in obscurity in 1865.